


Age

by CaryceJade



Series: Come Together [2]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Developing Friendships, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Language, Vomiting, discussions, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-22 02:24:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10687836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaryceJade/pseuds/CaryceJade
Summary: It's the second mission for Glanni and Ithro. They learn more about each other, and have a fairly easy mission, except for those scrapes they get into.





	1. Whittier to Gatlinburg

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from a Jim Croce song.

Glanni and Ithro were sitting at a table in a small restaurant in Whittier, North Carolina. 

Ithro looked at Glanni with concern. He was picking at his food, moving it about on his plate. He then finally set his silverware down, a decidedly queasy look on his face. 

“Are you alright, Glanni?” Ithro asked. He noticed that he kept rubbing one side of his head and squinting at the light.

“What?” He looked up, confused, then said, “Oh, I'm alright. Just have a headache, that's all.” In reality, he was experiencing the beginnings of a migraine, and the noise of the small restaurant was sending jolts of pain through his head. 

“Do you want to go back to the motel, take something for it, and lay down?” Ithro looked at him worriedly. Glanni seemed to be in a lot of pain, which made an uncomfortable feeling rise in him, as well as a desire to protect him.

“That might be a good idea,” Glanni said softly, wincing. 

To Ithro, Glanni looked incredibly young as he settled the bill and they headed out to the car. For the first time, he actually wondered how old Glanni really was. He could probably access the arrest report and find out, were he genuinely curious.

He just might do that, he noted, as Glanni laid his head back on the seat, closing his eyes.

* * *

Ithro closed the file, his heart somewhere in his shoes.

Twenty-three.

Glanni was only twenty-three.

So terribly young.

He looked over at the man sleeping on the bed. He had known that Glanni was probably younger than him, but he had not realised that it was such a significant margin. He was twelve years older than him. Granted, elves aged at a different rate than humans, or even humans who were probably about a quarter fae, as he suspected. Physically perhaps, they were around the same age.

He wondered how old Glanni's brother was. His own brother was almost eighteen. He had to smile when he thought about his brother. He was such a cheerful ray of sunshine for both him and their father. He really needed to call him, find out how he was doing. Then call his father to find out how he was faring.

He picked up the file that they had been given, deciding to read through it while Glanni was asleep, and then go over it with him later.

* * *

Glanni woke up about three hours later. His head was still hurting, but nowhere near as badly as it had been. 

He gave a barely audible sigh of relief, realising that he had just dodged a blinding migraine.

Looking over, he saw Ithro lying on the other bed, the file lying open next to him, sound asleep, glasses slightly askew on his face.

Quietly, he went over and pulled the glasses off, careful not to wake Ithro up, and set them on the nightstand.

Going back to the other bed and pulling out his phone, he decided to shoot a message to his brother. Robbie had been on his mind a lot lately, and he wanted to check up on him.

* * *

Ithro woke up about an hour later, and, seeing that Glanni was awake, asked, “Feeling better?”

Glanni nodded. “Yeah. It was good that we got back when we did.”

Ithro looked at Glanni with concern. “Why so? I think I know, but tell me.”

Glanni looked over at Ithro. “I get migraines sometimes. Not often, but they can get pretty bad.”

“Good to know,” Ithro replied. “I can't tolerate processed sugar. It won't kill me, but a very small amount will make me violently ill, and larger amounts will incapacitate me.”

Glanni regarded Ithro with a searching expression. “Good to know. That might be handy sometime.” And I might know what's wrong if I ever find you unconscious, he mentally added. “What would I do if that happened?” he asked.

Ithro could see where Glanni was going. Medical conditions could be exploited in order to manipulate a situation. “If I am still conscious, nothing. I’ll probably be nauseous for a few hours, might even throw up, but I'll live. If I am unconscious, get some fruit. I’ll still seek it out. That will bring me out of it.”

Glanni nodded, actually looking a little concerned, but trying to hide it by tracing the pattern of the comforter with his fingers.

“Are you hungry?” Ithro asked, changing the subject. “You barely ate earlier.” Ithro realised that Glanni had probably been too nauseous to really eat when they had stopped earlier.

“I could eat,” Glanni replied. “I still don't think I can eat much, but a little something.”

“Grab those menus and pick something out. I'm okay with just about anything tonight.” Occasional indulgences didn't hurt. It was only if he made a habit of it that it became a cause for concern.

Glanni rolled over and grabbed the menus, eventually picking an acceptable compromise.

* * *

This mission consisted of picking up a prototype for a machine that could alter the size of objects and transporting it from Atlanta to Washington DC. They were to ditch the car in Gatlinburg, TN, picking up a plain work van.

All in all, it was supposed to be a moderately easy mission.

If they could avoid the people trying to obtain the machine for their own purposes, that is.

The trip from Whittier to Gatlinburg actually did not take terribly long, only about an hour and a half. They accomplished that before noon the next day.

They ditched the car in the parking lot of a decrepit motel, picking up a battered white work van. 

Inside were work uniforms for a painting company, as well as painting supplies. If they were stopped, they didn't want to attract suspicion. 

They drove to a gas station, changing in the bathroom.

When they got back in the van, Glanni said, “So we’re supposed to stop in Athens for the day, then make it to Atlanta tomorrow?”

Ithro nodded. “Right. We’re just supposed to pick up the device, then drive straight to DC with as few stops as possible, drop the device off at the Pentagon, and be done with it.”

“Sounds easy enough. You ready?”

“Yes. And you?”

“Ready.”

Ithro started the van.


	2. Knoxville to Athens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second leg of the journey to Atlanta, and a couple of hiccups along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for being so patient. Real life has been interesting (in a good way).

They were being followed. The car, a nondescript blue sedan, had been creeping up on them since Knoxville, trying to be subtle, but failing miserably.

“We can't do anything about it here,” Glanni said gruffly. “There would be too many witnesses on this type of road.”

Ithro nodded. “So we lure them off and then get rid of them?”

Glanni nodded, a grim look on his face. “We can try to shake them or try to disable them.”

“Do you know anything about the area?” Ithro asked. “Enough to dare trying to lose them, anyway?”

Glanni shook his head. “No. Let’s get them off the interstate and on a side road, then throw out an obstruction.”

The next exit was for Lenoir City. Taking it without signalling, they saw the car that was tailing them scramble to follow.

* * *

Glanni hung out the window, whooping and thumping the door as the car spun out on the narrow back road. Ithro could hardly hold back a grin himself.

Following the signs, they were back on the interstate towards Athens within the hour.

* * *

The motel was small, and the room was old, with only one creaky double bed that the desk clerk had tactfully revealed to them. 

Glanni had hastily reassured the elderly woman that it was perfectly acceptable, turning on the charm that made Ithro truly understand how people were so easily swayed by his scams.

In this case, his intentions were good, so Ithro let him go wild, throwing in his own awkward reassurances as well.

Once they were in the room, they merely looked at each other and shrugged, having nothing else to say.

* * *

In fact, neither of them said anything about it while Glanni set up his laptop, or Ithro did stretching and calisthenics, or while they went out to grab something to eat, Ithro bemoaning the lack of healthier options near the motel as they drove through the outskirts of town.

“Will you _stop_!” Glanni finally snapped irritably, slamming his hands on the steering wheel. He then laid his head down on it. “I just want to get back and go to _sleep_!” His voice cracked on the last word, making Ithro’s mouth snap shut on the hasty retort that started to come out and actually _look_ at Glanni.

He didn't like what he saw at all. He was struck by a pang of guilt, as well as a measure of worry when he saw how pale he was. Not just pale, but completely drained. “Are you alright?” he asked, laying a hand on Glanni’s shoulder.

“Maybe you ought to drive,” Glanni said, suddenly sounding weak and tired. The headache that he had thought he had dodged the day before had been creeping back up on him for the past couple of hours, and he suddenly felt that he didn't have very long before it got bad. “I only thought I dodged that migraine yesterday.”

Ithro nodded. “Switch seats. I’ll run into the grocery store we just passed and get some fruit and water. Anything I can grab for you that might help?”

Glanni shook his head slightly, looking up, squinting against the setting Tennessee sun. “Maybe some ginger ale and crackers. Not sure how much I'll be able to keep down later.” He knew at this point that anything he tried to take for his head, or take in at all, really, would just come right back up.

Ithro just squeezed his shoulder in a silent apology as they switched seats.

* * *

By the time they got back to the motel, Glanni was in pretty rough shape, and Ithro was worried. He could barely see to walk from the car to the room, Ithro finally half-carrying him.

“Do you need me to help you change?” Ithro asked. He was genuinely concerned about Glanni’s ability to change clothes without falling over.

Glanni sighed, not really wanting to admit that he could use the help. “That might be a good idea,” he reluctantly admitted. “There's a shirt and trousers in the bag on top.” His head was spinning and pounding at the same time, and he just wanted to be horizontal, and hopefully unconscious, for a while.

Ithro went over and pulled the requested items out of the bag, bringing them over. He then touched Glanni’s arm, saying, “I’m going to help you change.”

Glanni nodded, so Ithro started by pulling off his shirt.

He bit the inside of his cheek hard to keep from exclaiming in combined horror and anguish at the scars on Glanni’s back. While they were quite old, they were from deep enough and consistent enough injuries that Ithro was unsurprised that they hurt him frequently. He did not ask the origin of them, firstly because Glanni was in too much pain at the moment, secondly because a twisting, sinking feeling in his stomach gave the indication that he probably did not really want to know the answer.

Moving on, he changed the trousers, then helped Glanni lie down on the bed. “Do you need me to get you anything else?” he asked.

“Can you set the bin beside the bed?” He took in a deep breath. “I’ll probably wind up throwing up before it's over with, and I know I won't be able to make it to the bathroom.”

Ithro nodded, bringing the bin over and setting it beside the bed. He then went ahead and pulled his own nightclothes out of his bag, saying, “I’m going to get changed, eat a little something, and sleep for a bit. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.”

“Could you...nah…”

“What are you wanting?” Ithro asked gently. He hoped that someday, if this collaboration continued, that Glanni would feel comfortable enough with him to ask him for things that he needed without hesitation, whether it be reading their assignments out loud to him, for silence when he needed it, or even something like physical contact or companionship.

“Could you just stay?” He sounded so young and pained that Ithro's heart broke. It drove home the fact that he was only a few years older than his own brother. 

Ithro nodded, rubbing Glanni's shoulder. “I can do that.”

* * *

Sleep did not come easily for Ithro. First off, he was too concerned about Glanni to completely fall asleep, feeling like he needed to keep his senses on high alert. Secondly, he had a lot to think about.

He had the feeling that Glanni was showing him a side that almost nobody ever saw. The vulnerable, the lonely, the sometimes scared side. He guessed that he should feel privileged or trusted, but the hints of great pain that he saw lurking underneath the hard exterior just made him feel...sad.

It was just as he fell truly asleep that Glanni woke him up, suddenly rolling over to the edge of the bed and retching violently over the bin that Ithro had placed there a few hours before.

Ithro was awake in an instant. One advantage of having a much-younger brother that he had helped raise was that no matter how truly asleep he was, there were certain sounds that he was awake in an instant for.

Getting up and coming around to the other side of the bed, he laid one hand on Glanni’s forehead, another on his shoulder, keeping him from falling off the bed. He kept rubbing circles with the thumb of the hand on Glanni’s shoulder, offering reassurance without speaking, as he figured that Glanni really did not need a lot of noise at the moment.

It took a while, but soon Glanni sagged in Ithro's arms, completely spent. Ithro eased him back, wiping his mouth with a tissue. “Are you done for now?” he whispered.

Glanni groaned softly, squinting up at Ithro in the near-darkness. “Don't know,” he exhaled. He then closed his eyes, breathing slowly.

“I'll wait, then,” Ithro replied softly, laying a gentle hand on Glanni's shoulder. He felt horrible for Glanni. He hated seeing _anyone_ in pain, especially this much pain, but seeing Glanni in this much pain felt especially wrong.

Ithro was right in trusting his instincts. A few minutes later, Glanni began swallowing hard, suddenly rolling to the side and over the bin that Ithro had ready and waiting. His heart cracked even more as he heard Glanni whimper and sob between heaves.

Finally, it was over, and Ithro eased Glanni back onto the bed, wiping his mouth once more. He also gently thumbed away the tears that met his hand. “Feeling any better at all?” he asked gently.

“Maybe a little,” Glanni whispered back. “Go empty that while you have the chance.”

Ithro nodded, patting Glanni on the shoulder as he went to take the bin into the bathroom.

He came back just in time to slide the bin under Glanni’s chin before he threw up again.

* * *

The sun was coming up before Glanni settled enough to actually fall asleep, his head on Ithro's shoulder.

Ithro didn't dare move, seeing as this was the most peaceful Glanni had been all night, and they did not have to start for a few hours yet, especially if he eliminated everything except the refueling stop.

He started humming tunelessly as Glanni stirred in his sleep, smiling in relief as he settled back down into an easy slumber.


End file.
